According to a baseball source, the Red Sox have expressed interest in right-hander Justin Duchscherer as a potential addition to their pitching staff. Duchscherer, who was drafted by the Sox in the eighth round of the 1996 round before getting traded to the Rangers in exchange for Doug Mirabelli in 2001, went 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA in five starts for the Athletics in 2010. But after the five outings, he underwent season-ending hip surgery in June. That followed a 2009 season that he missed in its entirety following elbow surgery and subsequent depression.

But the right-hander has been effective when healthy. In 2008, he was an All-Star as a starter, going 10-8 with a 2.54 ERA. That came three years after he made the AL All-Star team as a reliever by going 7-4 with a 2.21 ERA in 2005. In Oakland, the 32-year-old (he turns 33 on Nov. 19) enjoyed significant success with new Red Sox pitching coach Curt Young, under whom he enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2003 while with Triple-A Sacramento.

Last year, Duchscherer signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the A’s as a free agent that included numerous incentives based on health and appearances. He would no doubt have to pursue a similar deal this offseason, but before the end of the year, Duchscherer (33-15 with a 3.13 ERA in 224 career appearances) made clear that he wants to continue to pitch.

“When I’m healthy, I’ve always proven that I can pitch,” Duchscherer told mlb.com in September. “The thing I have to prove is that I can stay healthy. I haven’t shown that yet. That’s the worst part about that, being a baseball player and knowing I can do it but not physically being able to. So that’s my goal, whether it’s here or somewhere else. I’m a baseball player, and I’d like to pitch at least a few more years. I’m too young to try to move on to something else.”

While Duchscherer has experience as a reliever and starter, the right-hander has made it clear to clubs that he is only interested in pursuing opportunities as a starter.